Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

~ 1lI l:l.. (a!s this _y, his comfortable.lead 'was DeVer challenged. • The mudhole was like someth1Dg'ODtof Rowen & Martin's Laugb-In where the guy on a trIcycle pedals like crazy jn speeded-llP footage:and then.fa1l'S, crash, 00 his head. :Now I know 'Where they got the idea. The Novices would hit 1be get out of shIu>e and splash down comically. One .redoubtable young man flew headlong into the mess, hit .a JDJKIdy ditch and had his legs thrown llP over his ~ by the bucking rear 'wiIeeL'Ihf!.btIoe fell down 'over with himlayiDg.alaagstde. his bands still grtpped i:ightly 00 IDe band1ebars. The machine, .still I"1IIIIIiDg and in 'gear, suddenly fouod traction, partially.rigtlted itself, tben.t:lat toot l1If again, scatter.lng spectators-a:sJt.lnrcbed about. The :rider stilI gamely buIIg on while !being dragged erratically 1hraugh the muCk. FinaUy be got a.1ood 1IDQer_ 'neath liim .and the forward :mol"P"Qen jerked his legs llP into 1De.air apm. Be came back down miraclilously astraddle :the seat of his bike and ooward be emttnued.. If there had been a trIIIil:Y'UUIIed lor Saving It In SpectaenJar ~ tile fellow would have woo mm. Story and Pboto by Len Sipe ENCINITAS, Cal., Feb. '2 - The SIIge lIopper-s M; C l>e1d tbeir tblrd ammallULt :Race a 1ew miles east of Encinitas lD San Diego eoanI;y.Billed 'as:a European scrambles, n1De 'dIftereut classes 'Ud iItr1sioos of 'rlder-s raeed - 'ODe time '-.:h- ID tbree aoe-1Iaur races. TIle 3-.1/.2 mile 'course f£!8tured .fivE major jumps, wiIfla:real :crDWd-:PJaser r1gbt .after Jbe start 'Ud just before tbe mud bag. 'I'be mud, .instsIld of dry'IDg ,., a:fIer .a 1Id1lle JI.S is usual jn a 'soutbe:m Clillforma eftDt, became-.m;e.Jbe:more it 'WaS floundered .I:11J'oagh. I t _ gave tile molio-cross experts.a dlmcult time. Ii1 the lad at tile .first jmnpln the big'bore :Expert l:lBttle llI&S .Lars Larsson, newly :appolDled.field representative for Torsan Ha 11_ n .Racing, Inc. A:Il:blJuch his boss ts distributor far Penton.motorcycles, Larssoo cbDse to.1"lde 'his :Busqftl"DIL. .ADd ride it be tniIy did. The Jndomttable SJI'IBde .rode as.if the 'YerY :Fury berseIf were in parstilt, clutcb1og.at IDe IIack d lI1s leaIbers. His jlmlps 'wen! spectacular. He d1dn't take a corner.. .be attacked It w1tb .ferocity. .But lie -.s smooth and cooststent, hardly 'wrying his JIDe, uever katIDg or letting llP lar even a.1ractlm fila SllCOIIld..LaI:sson -.s IJrriDcIble and led 1rom star.t to lin.Ish. In third place -.s Ron Nelsoo on a 360 Montesa. He pr.obabl,y cOli1d have done better, but his regular moto-eross gearIng -.s too low. Although IDe cour-se :was rough and awkward ID spots, tIiIlgearing -.s needed for tile 10Dg sectioos, especlalJy OIl the fast hilltop stntght,ln the back. Roo WOIild be.PSked out 1D.four1il gear almost before tile straightaways opened uP. Riders .flew .by as lie ~t his rev's down just below the point of eogIDe damage. Then.be would catch llP dramatically in the rough stott. Nielsou's Aatics And then lhere -.s the aoe about the starting-line antics of Olaus Nielson, the SwediSh .Penton.rider sponsored by Hallman. Now, the Sage HoPpers have their own unique way of starting riders. '!be group is lined up with machines polDted forward and engines dead-Riders face the rear (where the starter is l0cated) and straddle their front wheel. In llntng up for the 125 Expert round, .Nielsoo toed to put on the starter.. an.accepted European .racing ribal. It is as important to winning an event as cliwing the course or rattling an opponent by .nipping at his rear wheel or yelling at him ID a .hard-nosed manner. While everyone tensely wailed for IDe starter to drop his banky-OIl-a-stick, Nleison managed to inch hismachlDe a full bike-length ahead of the others. He stood there ,beside the machine, not in front of It, ID a brazen show of inn0cence. He also seemed to have 'a phenomenal lack of understanding of the English language. Finally, while the Norwegian was looking at his bike ID mock wonderment at what the otnctais were uPbraiding him for, the starter decided what the hellJLDd sent everyone off. When Nielson saw what VI35 happening, he belaled1Y mounted up to jaID the rest of the gang. But his Penton wouldn' t start, and it wouldn't start, and it wouldn't start. At last it fired up and he VI35 off, in the proverbial hind- most position. About half way through the first race, Gary Bailey, who is Nielson's stablemate ID local events, .had his engine die on him at the mud bog. It refused to start, so Gary pushed the bike to his van parked nearby. In less than a minute, he was back .'In the :ra.oe. iWhen it was over, :Bailey 'went over to ODe 'Of the checkers at the fwah line to see how he.had p1ac.ed. He-.s politely informed be had heeD disqaa11fted. Gary had started out with:a green-tanked Pentioo, but 11nls'hed with one ~:red. ~ Morgan, .'IlCe :aml bike tiller in the desert, showed 'the ldnd cit :riding sa'l'l'Y tIJat earned lItm his #1 pIate~ At the edge of .the muddy area, .Jack.lound :a:mo.und of dirt that he 1Isedto jump over Jl small Tll1line, Jl barrier .that .kept everyone 'Eil:se 'going through the 'SOUP. Whenever be 'ClIJDe by, the spectators there :wolila sPlit 1nto two grOllPS '00 'either side .ana Morgan ~ ,give JLD exhlbl lion of good old fa Sb'Ioned C!aring-do :as be lellPed the 'Cbasm.. 'The.:tans were deI.1gbted,. Able.to pick up precious csec- _1_lY. Sacramento Scrambling In A Storm :By L .Lawton ' . 'Ihf! wtndblew,:and 'the :ram bIew~ but tthe March of Dimes • 'Rain :or SblDe"" .scrambles goes on whatever. Saturday ntgbt :and Sunday morniDg, 2'5th and 26th, -were two df'the stormiest ~ of the:Year ID tthe Sa:cramemo area. Races ~e sclJedJIIed.1Jr lIDOD on SDllday at the Sacramento:Raceway .and 1UIY0De cOli1d have bad .100 to :l odds that !:be races .could DOt be beld. You could .have "bet Y0ll! .sweet lJippy" that ther.e 'WOtild have.beeIIDO'W1l}' to'Start those 'CYcles off. Winds UP to 'SO :M.PH PLus almost one 1ncll of r.atn were enough to d1scourage the most avid Balfour suit 'Wearer. However, the Fourth.AnnualJi1arch df Dimes :Benefit Scrambles Day 'began with.a clear Sky. To be sure, there were 'Scattered clouds to remind everyone that Old Mother Nature hadn't quite 'given 'uP and the miserable ~ She.had been creating throughout the Golden State over tile past two weeks. Oourageous members of the Fort Sutter and Sacramento Trackers:motorcycle clubs had braYed the elements over the previous two weekends to layout a demantling course. The jackrabbits and gQPbers had aba.ndoned the area over three weeks 'earlier. In someparts of the course water was pouring up 'aDd out of tile gopher holes tnslleBd of flowing :Into them. :NormallY, dry and low spots were flowing with 'OVer two leet of water. In spite of the adver.se conditions, llPproximately 200 riders showed up on Sunday mor.ning to 51&!, up and partici-· pate in the muddiest of the mud scramhies. After look1Dg over the conditions, presidents Leo carter of the Forl.8utter Motorcycle Club, and.RaJph Guiterrezdf the Sacramento 'I'raekers Motorcycle Club decided that the only _y to go was a mofocross. The .100cc.and.20Occ classes would run two laps and the .250.and ~ would go for three laps• JaInJar.Y ;all..A very Sltgbt:.ra1nlellaronnd:IO.a.m. ;and Jbe rest of the day ,.;s clear 'With 'scattered clouds. 'The :only said :note .cast on the entire proceedings was when :Marty Du'Vrtes lell .at the 'start of the :Ncmce.Qpen lIDd 'WaS jammed under his bike, suffering.a broken leg. MartyJmdSC01"ed well enough 'In the 'prerious mutas to have gualUied far 1l !:rQpl!Y 'and w:Ill prObBbly spend :many :an lIour ~ his .about the time he woo.a ~ with 1l brOken legl 'The Dirt Diggers Narth 'Were 'out .in lorce.as th1s was the .:t.l.rst ev.eni..stnce mends their successful Hangtown Moto-Cross tIB"ee 1ft!eks earlier. All profits from the TaCes 1dD be turned wer to the March of llImea. Sacramento Raceway donatedtbe J8nc2and A:l Inman, Goocesslonnai:reJ d1:laUsd a large.POrtion of the concession r.......a to the cause. Many of the riders stI!I!Ped to.locilt ewer the oval track wbere a _:sIIDrt track will be built .to accommodlUe tile 26:raees to be T1JD this snmmer sDu the in MarCh. Fort Sutter and SIll 18 I.. *' 'Trackers motorcycle clubs 'will spaD8lII' these- .races. jOt Overall '68 Dist. 37 Sidehack Champions #1 Jim LeBlanc (pilot) John Bums (pass) ••. _ #2·Mike Burns (pilot) HanK Burns (pass). •• If3 Marv LeBlanc (pilot) Fred Soteros (pa ' #4 Dave Roesch (pi lot) Ed Wade (pass) . _ '.' • Bultaco E1 Bandido BultacoEl Bandido Bultaco EIBandido . . . •• H-D l000Cc .lIIIOl:lo, ~ '68 ACA MotcrX Championship Standings #1-250 Jr. Kurt Lohmeyer•...•••••••••..• Bul taco PurSang #1-350 Sr. John Maynard .••.••.••• '•.•• Bultaco EI Bandido #1-500 Jr. Gary Wickam •.••••••••••••• Sultaco EI Bandido Trojan 50 Lap TT - 1/31/69 Brave 80llls Everyone was allowed one practice lap to figure out where the course was. This caused the green cover to turn IDto one big hlanket ofmud over the entire course. The first mota brought the 10Occ's to 1st BOb Milner. _. _ • . . • • • . . . . • • • . • • • . . 2nd Lance Vall ery ••.•.••••.••••••••.• 3rd Dan Cook ••••.••• ,••••••••••.....• 4th Mike_Rendich • • . . . • . • . • • • • . . • • • . '• . Bultaco BuJtaco Bultaco Bultaco PurSang PurSang PurSang PurSang the .llDe and 'Rith some difficulty .most were ahle to make it to the first turn. Deadmans Point - European Scr. - 2/2/69 250 Comb. Class The first turn turned out to be the last lor many of the brave souls who ventured lorth. In some cases it required lour or five men to retrieve the bikes from the 1st Overall - Larry Bergquist • • • . . • . • . • • . . Bultaco PurSang mud. This same procedure continued on (lapped entire field) through all of the classes. The larger machlDes did seem to:fair better due to their greater horsepower. The secret seemed to be to get rolling and not stop. FOR YOUR NEAREST BUlLT-TO-GO DEALER If one had the misfortune to stall 'out in one of the real muddy spots, it took nine BULrACO WESTERN BULTACO AMERICAN, LTD. men to pull the mechanical steed out. If you could pull it out of one spot, there 10929 Chandler Blvd. 276'5 Scott Blvd. were still many more to go through beNo Hollywood, Calif. 91601 Santa Clara, Calif. 95050 fore reachlDg the sanctuary of the asphalt drag striP. As bad as all the foregoing may seem, _ ~ . ....,~ ~ . the afternoon proved to be a success fOI:,,:.. ~ ~TO.Qo~ .__01 • • , . .... ,... , •

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